Hip replacement surgeons in Denver

Hip pain can stop you from living life to the fullest. A hip replacement can prevent that, restoring your hip joint's health and giving you back your mobility and active lifestyle.

At HealthONE, we provide comprehensive hip replacement programs throughout Greater Denver. Our orthopedic surgeons offer minimally invasive techniques, and our hospitals provide you with preoperative joint replacement education and postoperative rehabilitative therapy.

For more information about HealthONE's hip replacement programs, please call (303) 575-0055.

Anatomy of the hip

A hip replacement can restore movement to a damaged or injured hip joint. To understand how a hip replacement works, you must also understand the anatomy of the hip joint.

The hip joint structure allows the leg to move forward, backward, sideways and in a rotating fashion. It is a ball-and-socket joint that is formed by two main parts:

  • The round head of the femur (the ball)
  • The acetabulum (the cup or socket in your pelvis)

In a healthy hip, these two bones are coated with cartilage, which allows them to move against each other without friction. In an injured or damaged hip, the cartilage layers may be destroyed and the bones may rub against each other, causing pain and limiting motion.

HealthONE's hip specialists can help correct this, improving your joint health through comprehensive orthopedic care—throughout diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

Candidates for hip replacement

If you experience the following symptoms, ask your doctor if a hip replacement could be right for you:

  • Your hip pain keeps you up at night.
  • Your hip pain limits your mobility, such as causing difficulty getting up from a chair, climbing stairs or getting into a car.
  • You have persistent pain despite trying other treatments, such as medication or physical therapy.

Diagnosing hip conditions

Our orthopedic surgeons will perform a comprehensive assessment to evaluate your hip joint. This includes a complete medical history and physical exam. They may also request imaging exams, such as:

  • Computed tomography (CT) scans
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans
  • X-rays

Conditions that may require a hip replacement

If you are diagnosed with any of the following hip conditions, your doctor may recommend hip replacement surgery:

  • Arthritis of the hip
  • Aseptic necrosis of the hip (death of bone tissue)
  • Developmental dysplasia of the hip (instability)
  • Dislocated hip
  • Hip fracture
  • Hip labral tear
  • Hip pointer (deep bruise of the hip)
  • Osteoporosis of the hip
  • Pelvic fracture
  • Snapping hip syndrome (snapping sensation when hip is flexed and extended)
  • Transient synovitis of the hip (irritation of hip joint tissue)

Types of hip replacement surgery

Our surgeons perform total and partial hip replacement surgeries. Your hip replacement surgeon will determine which procedure is right for you based on your age, bone quality, joint condition and other factors.

Minimally invasive hip replacement (anterior approach)

When possible, we use minimally invasive techniques. For example, many of our hospitals offer the anterior approach to hip replacement surgery. This minimally invasive procedure involves a three to four inch incision on the front of the hip. With this approach, the surgeon spares muscle by gently working around it rather than cutting through it.

Additionally, surgeons at Swedish Medical Center pioneered the minimally invasive portal-assisted total hip arthroplasty. This advanced technique moves the incision to a higher location on the body to reduce, scarring and recovery time.

Partial hip replacement (partial hip arthroplasty)

During a partial hip replacement surgery, your orthopedic specialist replaces only the damaged ball portion of your hip joint with an artificial component called a prosthesis. The joint’s original socket is not replaced because it is not damaged or causing pain.

Total hip replacement (total hip arthroplasty)

During a total hip replacement surgery, the ball and socket parts of the hip joint are replaced prostheses.

There are three basic parts to this artificial joint:

  • The acetabulum cup is a metal shell with a plastic liner, which is placed into your hip socket.
  • The femoral stem is a metal shaft that is inserted into your thigh bone.
  • The femoral head snaps onto the stem and rotates just like a natural hip in the hip socket.

Rehabilitation after hip replacement surgery

After a hip replacement surgery, we provide physical therapy and rehabilitation to help you regain strength and movement. Our certified therapists will create a personalized therapy regimen to get you back on your feet as quickly and safely as possible.

PERACare Select: benefit for hip replacement patients

HealthONE is proud to offer PERACare Select in partnership with the Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA). This benefit gives PERA retirees who are enrolled in the organization’s pre-Medicare program access to a fixed price for a hip replacement. Retirees who take advantage of this benefit could save as much as $13,000 in out-of-pocket costs.